Sales of the First Spouse gold coins started strong but then rapidly dropped off. Many of the last issues in the series, which ended in 2016, have mintages of fewer than 2,000 coins. Is now the time to buy them?

In 2012, the U.S. Mint announc­ed that they would begin product­ion of America the Beautiful quarter dollars at the San Francisco Mint. Their composition and finish would be identical to coins struck at Philadelphia and Denver for circulation, except of course they would bear the S Mint mark.These coins, however, would not be released into circulation, nor would they be...

Today it may seem a curious thing that the 1983 Olympics dollar was offered in a three-coin “P-D-S set.” The set consists of a coin struck at three Mints: Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco. Of all the modern commemoratives, only the 1983 and 1984 Olympics coins were offered in this way. Why? The answer is a little compli­cated. Legislation that authorized...

In the copper-nickel clad Washington quarter dollar series, only a small number of good die varieties are known. Even so, one coin that arguably should be included in collections of this coinage seldom is. It’s not a die variety, but a Mint error. It’s the 1970-D Washington quarter dollar struck on dime thickness stock. To make coin blanks, pre-formed strips of metal...

The first copper-nickel clad half dollars were struck in 1971, with 155 million coined at the Philadelphia Mint and a series high 302 million at the Denver Mint. They were saved in roll quantity, and intact original rolls can still be found today. As a result, coins grading Gem Uncirculated are relatively abundant. But whether a Gem Uncirculated coin was struck by a fresh...

The designer of a modern coin is seldom an important consideration for collectors. Not much is written about the relative merits of designs outside of the reporting on the selection process of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. Why?

To help promote and boost sales of the 1997 Botanic Gardens commemorative dollar, the Mint offered the Botanic Gardens Coinage & Currency set. One item included in the set was a Matte Finish 1997 Jefferson 5-cent coin.